 "Photo:")
Borrowing an idea used by schools such as Notre Dame and Duke, Boston College students, faculty, and staff wore T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan, "Gay? Fine by Me" last Thursday. The Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) and the Women's Resource Center (WRC) co-sponsored the event, which aimed to foster a more accepting campus environment. Duke, ranked two years ago as one of the 10 most homophobic schools in America, dropped several spots on that ranking after adopting a similar T-shirt campaign.
Mike Yaksich, head of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Issues for the UGBC, brought the "Gay? Fine by Me" idea to BC. The T-shirts were designed to be a visual representation that BC is a more accepting community than some believe and to demonstrate this fact to the outside community, he said.
Tour guides from the BC Office of Undergraduate Admissions were given a statement to make about the T-shirts in case prospective students and parents inquired about them. Yaksich said he was glad to see that many of the tour guides found ways to integrate the T-shirts into their campus tours rather than waiting for someone to bring it up.
Yaksich and other volunteers distributed about 600 shirts the week before the event and put up banners reminding people to wear them. "The T-shirts were all gone in about two hours," said Yaksich. "I don't know of any other case when T-shirts have gone so quickly."
Members of many student groups on campus wore the T-shirts, such as Allies and the WRC. The shirts were also worn by some groups that are not as closely affiliated with GLBT issues. Members of the College Republicans of BC wore the T-shirts and endorsed the idea.
"The campaign shows that whichever side you're on, respecting the dignity and value of every human being is important," wrote Max Buccini, acting chair of the college republicans and A&S '06, in a press release. "This is about individuals and free dialogue among them aside from the politics aside from this incredibly signifigant issue," he added.
"It's no longer a conservative/liberal issues. Having [the College Republican's] support was good for the image of the event," said Yaksich.
"Gay? Fine by Me" was not meant to be as a protest, Yaksich said. "People were laying out in the Dustbowl eating lunch and playing Frisbee and just having a good time," he said.
The slogan "Gay? Fine by Me?" encompasses a message of acceptance, said Yaksich. "The point of the slogan was to foster acceptance, he said. "The word 'gay' encompasses not just men, but anyone who is GLBT. The question mark shows that it's asking the question 'are you gay?' and the answer, "fine by me," shows that you aren't going to let that affect your view of the person," he said.
Yaksich said that some students have asked him for T-shirts since the event ended, and that next year even more shirts will be ordered. "There were people who couldn't get shirts who wore blue shirts anyway. It was great to see such positive support," he said.
"I'd like to see this become a tradition," said Yaksich. "The idea is for everyone who wants a T-shirt to be able to have one."
Be the first to comment on this article!